


take all that pain and turn it into love

by Marmeladeskies



Series: A Series of Random Mighty Nein Moments because these Kids Deserve Happiness and Attention [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Multi, One Shot, basically... frumpkin being cute and affectionate when Caleb can't be, cat shenenigans, you can interpret this however shippy you want it to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-11-02 10:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20714036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmeladeskies/pseuds/Marmeladeskies
Summary: Caleb is not one for physical affection.Frumpkin is, though. After all, he’s just a cat. And like every cat, from every plane of existence, he likes to 1. cause mayhem at times and 2. chin scratches.





	take all that pain and turn it into love

**Author's Note:**

> I fell down a Crit Role hole, so... have some shameless gentle Frumpkin. <3   
(also, I'm not caught up yet, so I don't know everything that's gonna happen yet, so please don't judge me lmao)

Caleb is not one for physical affection.  
Frumpkin is, though. After all, he’s just a cat. And like every cat, from every plane of existence, he likes to 1. cause mayhem at times and 2. chin scratches. Caleb doesn’t want to think about what that means for his own character, with Frumpkin technically coming from his innermost spirit, or subconscious, or whatever.

Of course, the person Frumpkin snuggles with most, is Caleb. He will curl up in his lap, or lie down across his shoulders, or climb up his body however he can. And sometimes he does that without Caleb telling him to- at least not consciously. But Frumpkin will lie down on top of him, and start purring, and push his little face into Caleb’s clothes, no matter how dirty they are.  
Caleb recognizes, of course, the inherent redundance of Frumpkin giving him physical affection, the psychological implications of it all. But it’s also just really damn nice. 

At first, Caleb is careful with Frumpkin around the Nein.   
It’s not like Frumpkin is really vulnerable- Caleb can just summon him again once he’s been disintegrated, with enough time and supplies.   
But Frumpkin is, in some way or another, a piece of him.   
And Caleb is not one to give away pieces of him to random people he barely knows.   
The only one who’s allowed to handle Frumpkin is Nott, because she’s the only one Caleb allows in, the only one who doesn’t ask too many questions, the only one he trusts.   
She’s gentle with Frumpkin, happy when he’s there, but okay when he’s not. She plays with him when he offers, pets him when he lets her and always offers him some of her food, even though she knows he can’t eat it. 

Caleb tells himself not to get attached to people. To not trust them. No matter how nice they are. 

But then, there’s monsters, and travelling, and suddenly, they’re in Zadash, and even though there’s a war coming, Caleb finds himself wanting to run away less and less. Finds himself slowly starting to trust them. Not all of them. Not at once.   
Finds himself smiling more often. Laughing, sometimes. Being touched. Hugged. Cared about. 

“Frumpy!”  
Jester loves Frumpkin, and she doesn’t hide it at all. In her typical way, she calls for him every time Caleb summons him, using that nick name, beckons him close, arms reaching out to touch him, pet him, hug him to her chest.   
“Who’s a cute kitty? Who’s the cutest kitty? You are! Come heeeere!”   
She actually drops to the floor, a big smile on her face, and Caleb can see her wonderful, childish, genuine joy in her face when she reaches out, opening her arms for Frumpkin.   
Frumpkin pats over to her, meowing happily as Caleb looks on, hiding the smallest smile in his scarf. Jester grabs Frumpkin, lifting him to her face, burying her face in his side and then pressing kisses to his ear which he accepts graciously.   
“Aww I missed you! It’s really stupid when you get disintegrated, Frumpy. I hate it! It’s good to have you back.”   
Caleb feels himself blush, just a little.  
Frumpkin licks Jester’s cheek, once. 

Frumpkin really likes Yasha.   
Even though her hands are so big, they’re gentle, and her quiet voice is soothing. Frumpkin climbs into her lap whenever he can, whenever she’s around, and her pleasant surprise always tugs on something inside Caleb. It’s like she’s surprised such a small creature wants to be around her.   
Frumpkin plays with the beads woven into her hair, and she lets him, watching him with a gentle smile on her face. 

Beau is nice to Frumpkin before she’s nice to Caleb.  
Frumpkin, unlike Caleb, has claws and sharp teeth, and so the grumpy and gruff don’t scare him off so easily.   
And so, Caleb finds out that Beau is actually way nicer when she talks to animals as opposed to humans.   
And the way she looks at Frumpkin when he walks next to her, or when he jumps around in her line of sight, trying to catch a bug, or when he lies down in the sun, Caleb recognizes something in her gaze: longing.   
“Yeah, get it!”, she cheers when Frumpkin finally catches that fly that’s been annoying them for the past half hour, and calls him “bro” when he drops it before her feet, prize of his victory.   
“Can you teach a cat to fist bump?” 

Fjord is allergic to cats, and so Frumpkin doesn’t approach him- even though he really wants to. Caleb can actually feel it. Maybe it’s just a cat personality trait to want what you can’t have.   
Whenever Frumpkin is a different animal, though, he will sit with Fjord, a lot, as if to make up for the time lost whenever he’s a cat. And Fjord just smiles at Frumpkin when that happens, and then at Caleb until Caleb has to look away.   
Bird Frumpkin sits on Fjord’s shoulder, and when it gets cold, hops into the side of his collar, and makes a little nest there for himself, and when no one is looking, Fjord turns his head and presses the briefest, smallest kiss to Frumpkin’s fragile little bird body.

Mollymauk is basically a cat, the way he behaves, the way he slinks around, the way he acts aloof but clearly craves affection.  
Maybe that is why Frumpkin and him get along so well.   
Maybe it’s something else entirely.  
Which, again, falls under things Caleb doesn’t want to think about too hard.  
Molly lets Frumpkin lick his fingertips, and he pets him for hours while Caleb is busy with his books.   
When Caleb can’t sleep, which happens a lot, Frumpkin sometimes wanders into Molly’s bed during nights when they share a room, curling up against Molly’s neck as Caleb watches in the dark.  
Molly opens his eyes, just briefly, glowing red in the dark as they meet Caleb’s.   
Then he puts a hand up, cupping Frumpkin’s little head, or pulls him close, and then they fall asleep together like that.

Because Frumpkin is braver than Caleb is.

**Author's Note:**

> (let me know what you think in the comments?)


End file.
